The committee shall review the laws and regulations of the Federal Government, member states and territories pertaining to public acquisition and management of real property for transportation related purposes. The committee will review issues related to the placement of utilities on highway rights-of-way. It shall provide a forum for the exchange of experiences, innovations and best practices; and will recommend such laws, rules, regulations, and procedures so as to improve the quality and efficiency of Right of Way and Utility operating practices. The Right of Way process includes Right of Way Scoping/Mapping, Appraisal, Appraisal Review, Consultant Management, Relocation, Acquisition, Property Management, Condemnation Coordination and Management, and Program Management, including Local Public Agency coordination and certification. The Utilities process includes Utility Coordination, Utility Relocation, Utility Accommodation, Subsurface Utility Engineering and Utility Pole Safety.

The committee may establish liaison relationships with appropriate offices of the Federal Highway Administration and such other entities having a role and responsibility in the area of Right of Way and Utilities.

The committee shall work cooperatively with other AASHTO committees and subcommittees and shall report to the  Council on Highways and Streets on its actions, publications, recommendations, and resolutions promoting the general purpose of the Association. Each Member Department shall be entitled to membership, however, in those states where the Right of Way and Utilities function report to different organizational units, the state shall designate one (1) voting member on the committee.

• Committee Charter Approved
• Committee Strategic Plan Approved 
• Resolution on Metrification 

Committee Charter and Strategic Plan

• RUOAC Charter Approved 2018-05-10 (pdf)
• Strategic Plan 2018 Approved 09-22-2018 (pdf)

Vision Statement​
An effective voice for public acquisition and management of real property, including utility accommodation and relocation, for transportation purposes that results in maximizing the quality, integrity and efficiency of national transportation programs.

Mission Statement
In accordance with the AASHTO Governing Documents, Board of Directors’ Policy Manual, which establishes the mission of the Committee, to provide a forum through which all members are able to participate in affecting positive change and improvement in right of way and utility coordination issues through sharing of experiences, practices, and innovations.

​Emphasis Areas
​Provide opportunities to share technical expertise, procedures, and practices among Committee members, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and others; and support an innovative, creative environment for new approaches to common challenges.

We are committed to an annual committee conference that includes member departments, FHWA, consultants and industry partners. We also have created an electronic network by which all member departments through their respective committee directors or designees are able to hear from each other on areas of concern. We emphasize the importance of being innovative in ways to find efficiencies.

Encourage excellence through research and educational opportunities in right of way, utilities, and project development. We maintain partnerships with FHWA, the National Highway Institute and the International Right of Way Association (IRWA), and are committed to researching other opportunities to succeed in this area.

Review and if appropriate recommend changes to existing laws and regulations to improve the quality and efficiency of right of way and utility programs. We recognize the need to work with FHWA and respective member states to ensure that statutes and regulations permit, whenever possible, the most effective policies and practices.

Communicate information to, or disseminate information from, the AASHTO Council on Highways and Streets (CHS) as appropriate or required.

The Steering Committee, through its Chairman, coordinates all necessary information to CHS. Directors or their designees provide assistance in generating issues or providing feedback on submittals to ensure that all member departments are represented.

Technical Subcommittees Overview

On May 5, 2003, the full Committee voted to adopt an internal organization for subcommittees on each of the technical areas in Right of Way, Utilities and Outdoor Advertising Control. Chairs for the Right of Way & Utilities Technical Subcommittees have been appointed by the AASHTO Right of Way, Utilities, and Outdoor Advertising Control Committee (CRUO) Steering Committee Chairman.

Technical Subcommittees:

• Right of Way Appraisal and Appraisal Review–Right of Way Relocation
• Right of Way Acquisition/Program Management
• Right of Way Property Management
• Outdoor Advertising Control​
  –Outdoor Advertising Control Operations
  –Outdoor Advertising Control Policy
• Utility Mapping, GIS & SUE​Utility Project Scoping & Coordination
• Utility Accommodation & Safety

The Right of Way (R/W) Vice-Chair, Utilities Vice-Chair, and Outdoor Advertising Control Vice-Chair serve as the single point of contact and provide coordination for their respective technical subcommittees:

R/W Technical Subcommittee Contact – Perry Johnston, Arkansas
Utilities Technical Subcommittee Contact – Nelson Smith, Maryland
Outdoor Advertising Subcommittee Council Contact – Jim Spalla, Florida

The Technical Subcommittees will assist the full CRUO Committee by focusing the attention and expertise of the members of the Subcommittees on specific business areas of responsibility in Right of Way, Utilities, and Outdoor Advertising Control; identifying technical developments, trends, initiatives, innovations and potential problems; and providing an annual report on current issues in each particular area of responsibility.

Technical Subcommittees’ three main objectives are to:

1. Encourage and facilitate broader participation among member state DOTs and allow people, who have a special interest in some technical aspect of our business to meet to compare notes and share ideas;
2. help the Committee gather ideas from these experts in various technical areas in order to help us plan for future work efforts of the committee, research, conference programs, etc;
3. and make the work of the Technical Subcommittees more visible to the Committee membership in order to encourage participation.

Only those individuals eligible for general or active membership as provided in Article III of the Committee’s Operating Procedures shall become eligible to chair or hold membership on a technical subcommittee. Representatives of local government agencies and members of the private sector concerned with transportation and transportation issues, particularly those relating to right of way and utilities, are encouraged to become involved with and participate on technical subcommittees. These individuals may participate in the subcommittee as affiliate members, but may not vote on matters taken under consideration by the subcommittee.

Technical Subcommittee Chairpersons will be responsible for the following:

• Recruit, sustain, and maintain up to date membership for their Technical Subcommittees.
• Chair a Technical Subcommittee “round table” meeting at the Annual Conference, and assist an Steering Committee member assigned to facilitate a session on your Technical Subcommittee subject matter at the annual conference.
• Conduct an annual meeting of your technical subcommittee by video teleconference, teleconference, email, or a combination thereof, on a date you select between the close of the annual conference (April or May) and the steering committee’s annual planning meeting the following January, (Note: Chairperson will have notes created from their annual meeting and submit a report to their Subcommittee coordinator for review at the annual planning meeting. This report is due Dec. 31 of each year. Items note selected for break-out session presentations will be included on the agenda for their technical subcommittee “round table” sessions at the annual conference).
• Chairpersons who must step down from their position must help the Steering Committee to determining a replacement from the members in their technical subcommittee.

The annual Technical Subcommittee meeting should, at a minimum, cover:

• New and interesting things are going on in this field
• Is there anything the Subcommittee needs to be working on in this area?
• Are any states trying new approaches to the technical area?
• Any best practices that can be shared?
• Any new technologies emerging?
• What problems are you experiencing in your technical area?
• Any research in your area that needs to be conducted?
• What topics would you like to see addressed at the annual conference?

All Technical Subcommittee Chairs are invited to contact their respective Steering Committee Coordinators at any time should they have any questions or need any assistance. The R/W, Utilities, and Outdoor Advertising Control Committee Executive Board greatly appreciates all the hard work the Technical Subcommittee Chairs do and the many contributions they make to the work of the Committee.